I Tamed the Monstrous Prince - Chapter 94

Schedule: Wed and Sun

Heeding my silent command, the little creature nestled quietly, holding its breath. Such a clever chick. I reached into my pocket, scratching its beak gently as I slipped out of the palace. The White Rose Cross Knights, my guard, were still scattered about, idly chatting. It was easy to avoid their notice as I made my way to the back gate of the Emerald Palace. My recent daydream had shown me a passage here, and it was real. Overgrown with vines, it was a disused servants’ entrance, abandoned when the Emerald Palace gardens fell into neglect. I glanced around once more, then without hesitation, opened the door and slipped out.

***

Elda had originally been a dressing maid at the Moonstone Palace. Of course, she hadn’t started there. Her position was the result of relentless effort—and occasionally, well-placed bribes. Being a dressing maid offered better pay and lighter work than other menial tasks. Elda, with her pleasant looks and sharp wit, had quickly risen through the ranks. This position also presented opportunities for discreet financial gain. For instance, collecting and selling the insignificant trinkets overlooked by noble ladies was one such method. After all, the upper crust had more wealth than they could count, so Elda reasoned that a little pilfering was like taking a drop from the ocean. However, Elda was more cunning than her fellow maids. She knew a long tail would eventually be stepped on. So, instead of taking the risk herself, she used maids of lower standing, making them accomplices.

Delphina, that rigid girl, was the problem. As a new arrival at the Moonstone Palace, Delphina was naturally beneath Elda in the hierarchy. When instructed to steal a certain item, Delphina had the audacity to refuse, even going so far as to threaten to report Elda, making a dramatic fuss and offering unwanted advice. It was utterly infuriating, and Delphina earned Elda’s lasting resentment. Stiff branches are bound to break. Elda hadn’t forgotten the incident and longed to see Delphina fall.

Now assigned to the new Crown Princess’s Emerald Palace, Elda had climbed to the position of head maid. On the wedding day, Crown Princess Irenea had seemed like a naive fool. Elda saw this as the perfect opportunity to frame Delphina, perhaps with a theft accusation, to teach her a lesson and gain favor with the Crown Princess. However, the Crown Princess proved unexpectedly perceptive and keenly aware of power dynamics. Elda, along with that idiot Sara, had nearly been framed for theft herself. Though she’d managed to prove her innocence, the mere suspicion of handling the Crown Princess’s valuables made finding work elsewhere difficult. She lost her position at the Emerald Palace, and any chance at another position within the palace walls.

“It’s all because of that woman,” Elda gritted her teeth, hating the Crown Princess. Though admittedly beautiful, she was close in age to Elda and a cripple. Rumor had it she was the Duke’s illegitimate daughter, a beggar who once roamed the streets, scraping by.